Liquorature’s 2012 Wrap Up

 General, Liquorature Books, Liquorature Thoughts, Rum  3 Responses »
Dec 312012
 

2012 is drawing to a close, and many sites are beginning their top-however-many lists. The Hippie has drawn up a list of his favourite drams of the year on ATW, the Rum Howler has got his lists of top rums and whiskies he’s tried, film critics will put out their top ten lists as usual, and here I’ll join in and review how the year went from Liquorature’s perspective, including – of course! – my own discoveries of the year and my own take as a reviewer of rums.

The Club

 

Liquorature, sadly, lost two of its original members, the erstwhile and aged “Mr. A-is-A” and the incisive and polemic Clint, who both took stock of their lives and made the tough call that they simply weren’t able to contribute or involve themselves as much as they would have liked, and withdrew. Coming at a time when the Benevolent-Dictator-for-Life-cum-Hippie was beginning to get antsy about the relaxed attitude of the crew becoming too prevalent, we made some organizational changes and issued Golden Tickets to two new members – Lorenzo “Il Magnifico” Lecce who had so impressed us with his solo contribution to the “1Q84” discussion (as well as his never-to-be-forgotten late-evening intoxicated kip on the washing machine), and Stuart Hunter, the curmudgeonly, avuncular elder statesman of music who has the aged-rock-god-turned-to-seed demeanour (I mean that in a a good way) which we felt would add an interesting perspective to our literary perambulations.

The Club continues to evolve. Guests remained a regular, if not consistent, fixture, with my friend Tolik, Maltmonster and Il Magnifico being pleasant additions to the mix. This year we settled down and issued formal ukases on the timing, food and drinks each person was, at a minimum, obligated to provide for the cash donated: for drinks, no cheap crap, one unopened rum and one unopened whisky (plus whatever heels the host deems appropriate), and no big splash on the food over and beyond making sure everyone has something to nibble on that doesn’t run out. To some extent, I was given a pass because in my case there’s always a full dinner spread and always more rums than whiskies (take that, maltsters)…though I’ll be the first to concede the sheer originality of others like the Ginger Buddha and Clint, who always have a theme to the evening that is unique and fun to deal with, like the Zombie Shootout for “Cell” and the Godfather restaurant recreation scene we had had before.

Curt continues to do the write ups on the Liquorature get togethers – perhaps because, as of this writing, he’s the only one to actually have attended all of them – as well as pursuing his misguided love of whiskies both here and on ATW, our more focussed sister site. With some exceptions, and quite a bit of backlog, I’ve taken on the not-so-onerous task of writing all the book reviews and, of course, spoken to the rums at some length. To my surprise, the three most hit upon pages on Liquorature are the old Glenfiddich 12 review, the Tanduay 12, and … Tintin in Tibet, a loving and nostalgic review I put up in a passing moment.

Books

The selection of our literature picks this year was impressive and illustrates some of the breadth of what we have managed to dissect. Granted, not all of them are world beaters – we do, however, believe that pulp fiction and fruity best-sellers can absolutely mix it up with the Booker prize contenders.  I haven’t written all the book summaries and reviews yet (more shame to me), but eventually they’ll all be on the site.

 

For what it’s worth (and fellow members, feel free to weigh in) my own overwhelming favourite this year was Pat’s October selection of “Mercy Among the Children”, a deep, dark, rich, atmospheric tale of family, hypocrisy, revenge, misunderstanding, love and loss that moved me as few books ever have. A close second was, without a doubt, “1Q84″, surely one of the most peculiar books I’ve ever read, one that I should have put down in a heartbeat…and yet could not.

“Ways of Sunlight” was our first collection of short stories and one of the sparser-than-usual attendances, but a good night for all that….I seem to recall we tried some fourteen rums that night. “Cell” marked a return of Stephen King to the lineup, and I was really happy to see “Pillars” make an appearance, since (all false modesty aside), I introduced Curt to this years ago, he to all his friends, and it has become a favourite ever since.

Classics look ready to make a strong showing in the new year, with “Moby Dick” and “Huckleberry Finn” already in the pipeline, so 2013 seems set to be a fascinating year from the perspective of literature. It’s hard to comprehend that we’ve been at this for nearly fifty cycles already, and we remain committed and interested and seek to outdo each previous evening with a better one (how we will ever top the Godfather Easter egg is beyond me).

Rums

The primus inter pares of all my varied interests. During 2012 I gamely struggled to hold my own in the face of the irredeemably stubborn obstinacy of my fellow Liquorites who insist on giving pride of place to the obscure Scottish drink. Added to that was my day job, my family, photography and other priorities, which led to 2012 seeing less than fifty new rum reviews. Aside from the division of my available time, part of the problem is undoubtedly my writing style, which tends to the lengthy and relates to my desire to tell as complete a story about each rum as I can, adding to that whatever ruminations (no pun intended) cross my mind as I write, and making each more an essay than a review…hopefully a unique one. This is a style that takes real effort and thought and time, and works for me both as a writer and a reviewer; but is, alas, too long for some (most, I would gather), with all the attendant disinterest it creates in people who prefer a McNugget-level synopsis as they stand, i-phone in hand, at a liquor store somewhere wondering what to buy. The important thing is that I enjoy it and it holds my interest – a more abbreviated style would be easier, I could churn out more reviews…but not nearly as much fun.

My tastes have gradually changed (I hesitate to say “improved”) to appreciate higher proof rums — I’m coming to the stated opinion that 40% is a really pronounced limiting factor for top quality rums of any kind. The Panamonte XXV, the Plantation XO 20th Anniversary and many others, would have benefited greatly from having the extra oomph of a few additional proof points.  Of course, the two rums that took this to ridiculous extremes were the beefcake SMWS Longpond 81.2% and the Stroh 80 both of which I sneakily kinda enjoyed in spite of their rage.

Another point of development for me is that I have quietly dispensed with three almost unconsciously held assumptions I realized I was harbouring: (a) that older rums are always better than younger ones (they often are, but not every time); (b) younger rums or cheap blends are only for mixing (often true, but certainly not every time) and (c) expensive is equivalent to quality (it often is, but, nope, not always). As I taste more and more rums and go back and forth between the earlier rums and the later ones and cross taste them in my spare time, I appreciate the subtleties that in many cases I missed the first time around, and learn to admire the artistry some makers bring to even their youngest creation. In order to chart my development, I leave my scores the way they were when I wrote them, but  I’m thinking of doing a”revisit reviews” of the older ones from 2009/10 which were shorter and not as intense as later work. As a point of interest, I review every rum neat – whether it makes a good cocktail or not is not part of my review process, though I usually mix myself one to test stuff I don’t like, on the assumption that it might fail as a sipping spirit, but not necessarily as a cocktail.

I’m also learning to appreciate the lighter bodies and complex profiles of agricoles and French-island rums more than when I started, and my discovery this year was undoubtedly the Courcelles 1972 58% which the co-manager of the Rum Depot in Berlin trotted out from his private stash and allowed me to share. I still hate the scoring mechanism, which for me results in rums scoring mostly between fifty and seventy, and I dread coming up with something new and having to go back over a hundred rums and recalibrating. However, at least it’s consistent. But readers should always be warned that it’s the words that tell the tale, not the score.  Oh yeah, I dropped the chart of the rum profiles…it was useful for a while, but didn’t see it adding any real value so I just shrugged and did away with it.

Kensington Wine Market in Calgary continues to hold two Rum tastings a year, which I faithfully attend and write about in a probably futile effort to raise the profile of the spirit in my obstinately whisky-loving area. A high point for me this year was undoubtedly the cracking of the 58 Year Old Longpond, which snarkily showed the Appleton 50 the door (the latter will be on show for the February 8th 2013 Tasting at KWM). Andrew, the co-owner, maintains his generous habit of alerting me to new and interesting rums coming through the door, even if I can’t afford them all. And though I am aware that in his eyes rum simply doesn’t class with whisky (hence his online moniker which I continually gripe about), he treats me with the courtesy due any autistic, rum-loving mutt who may growl at any moment.

The rums tasted that stood out this year (equivalent to ATW’s “Drams of the Year” post)

What is evident from this brief listing is that I’m deliberately moving away from the “one size fits all” commercial rums that we can find almost anywhere, towards costlier, rarer, more unique rums that are edging me to an average price of close to a hundred bucks per bottle (yes, with very rare exceptions and to the horror of my wife, I buy everything I review – the exceptions are my friends’ samples which *they* buy). My choices are becoming more finicky, and I seek out older and obscure offerings for the same reason I write the way I do…because it’s more interesting that way, and because there are enough reviews of the commonly available rums out there (does anyone really need me to put up a tenth review of the Mount Gay XO except as a site-hits driver?). This is not to say I don’t look at, say, a Myer’s Planter’s Punch…I just don’t do it as often (though I always will), or as assiduously – it would undoubtedly be cheaper, though, wouldn’t it? To my mind, a person who likes Old Sam’s won’t care in the slightest what I write about it (if he even looks for a review), but anyone seeking to check out the Rum Nation Jamaica 25 Year old probably will, before he drops close to two hundred bucks on it.

***

Summing up, it’s been a slower than expected year for reviews, but both the Hippie with his 2013 Islay tour and myself with the trip to Germany, made discoveries beyond price. The Liquorature meetings are fixtures and high points of our gentlemanly social lives, and look to continue far into the future. And as we bring 2012 to a close, I must say that 2013 promises to be a year full of new books, new spirits, new friends and more rambunctious get-togethers than ever before.

All the very best to all of you who have had the patience to read this far, and have a great New Year.

 

 Posted by at 10:22 am

The Hundredth Rum Review

 General, Liquorature Thoughts, Recent Updates, Rum  4 Responses »
Feb 032012
 

 

***

With the write up on the Cadenhead Panama 8 year old rum, I have reached a sort of personal milestone. I’ve written a hundred rum reviews and that’s not as easy as it may sound, since I put a lot of effort and energy into crafting each one, chosing the verbiage and doing the research, all the while juggling my photographic hobby, reading, as well as domestic and professional duties which permit me my alcoholic habit. At this rate, if there really are around fifteen hundred rums in production in the world, I’ll be a candidate for a gerontological institute somewhere before I get to finish.

Looking back, it seems quite amazing that two years have already passed since I began writing, three if you count the origins of Liquorature in 2009. In that time, Liquorature has grown from seven members to nine, the much more successful allthingswhisky site has gone up (and it passed a hundred reviews itself no more than a week or two back, so kudos are in order there as well), and a hundred-plus rums have crossed my path…more if you count those on my shelf I haven’t written about or those friends have trotted out. Through the writing of these reviews I have been in contact with makers and distributors, readers and reviewers, forged friendships and had a really good laugh from time to time (the Bacardi 151 review is a case in point)…and, I’m sure, pissed off a person or three.

There’s really no direction in my reviews: I’m not thinking of adding cocktails to my lineup; news from the rum world will never become part of the site; much as I’d like to, I lack the financial and temporal resources to do distillery tours and write ups; and no, I’m not trying to build any kind of collection or collate the ultimate rum list. The two major changes to my thinking in the last two years involved [1] adding a score to the reviews so I could do rankings and see if I preserved a bell curve (I do, and its median seems to be around fifty-ish, which satisfies me); and [2] a conscious decision to eschew deliberately solicited freebies – I found it influenced my reviews too much…others may be able to dissociate their personal feelings at getting a free sample from their reviews, but I can’t.

At end, two things stand out. I like to write, and write well, amuse, entertain and maybe make a point or two about my experience with a given liquor, what I felt and thought and tasted. Some say I overwrite, but come on, guys, there are all sorts of McNugget-sized capsule reviews out there…what on earth do you need another one for? I don’t need to do sound bites. I want to write something that’s more than just the bare bones, something that is part review, part joke, part serious, part history, part philosophical rumination. Surely that’s worth more than a sentence? (For the ADD among you, you’ll note the micro-opinion in italics at the top of each review for the last few months as a nod in your direction).

And secondly, I enjoy knowing that what is written becomes part of a corpus of knowledge people can use to find out more about a rum when they see one on the shelf. A hundred reviews is nowhere near enough to get a sense of what rums are out there – Africa and Asia remain as skimpily represented as a bikini at Cannes, and every time I turn around some European maker comes out with another artsy little offering – but those who bother to read each review as it gets posted will not only get a sense of my evolution in taste, but understand why I felt the way I did about each product I wrote about.

And, of course, perhaps laugh a little. That’s alone might be worth all 100 reviews put together

Here’s raising a glass to the next 100.

 

 

 Posted by at 9:20 pm

New posts and the 2011 wrap up

 General, Liquorature Thoughts, Rum  No Responses »
Dec 182011
 

Finally, after a six month period where I barely found the energy to drink (let alone write), I think I’ve finally broken this one-or-two-reviews- per month curse and started to put some verbiage together.  In the last quarter I’ve been, at best, inconsistent, but when you consider far too many twelve- and fourteen-hour days (not including the family), working weekends and other obligations, I’m actually surprised I put anything out at all.

In the last quarter, then, pickin’s have been mighty slim for readers.  These are the reviews and articles that have come out:

September

St. Nicholas Abbey Eight Year Old

St. Nicholas Abbey Twelve Year Old

October

10 Decent Rums (Roughly) under $100

The KGM Raucous Rums Wrap Up

Bundaberg Reserve Rum

November

Traveller’s 1 Barrel Rum

Potter’s Traditional Navy Dark Rum (my favourite low end hooch for the moment)

December

Ron Abuelo 12 Year Old

Ron Abuelo 7 Year Old

The fact that I put out two reviews on the same day plus found the time to peck out this post suggests I may be able to get back on track – certainly there are enough rums on my shelf which I need to get around to reviewing, and that’s not even including white rums, which thus far I’ve more or less stayed away from (and underproof rums, which I won’t bother buying any longer).

The writing will, of course, continue – along with photography, it provides me with a welcome release from more numerically based nonsense I do to pay for the family extravagances (everything which is not rum) – it’s more a question of doing it in the time available and still maintaining a level that is interesting and informative (and occasionally funny).  One project I have to get around to is looking at the older reviews and rating them so that my distribution chart shows the spread of all rums…I want to see if a bell curve is maintained.

2011 as a whole was a pretty good one from the perspective of rums.  Kensington Wine Market began what I hope is a twice-a-year rum tasting event (both the Rum Nation and St. Nicholas Abbey rums were brought to my attention here); I began a scoring system to rate rums, in spite of my continuing dissatisfaction with it. I managed to taste about fifty or so brand new rums and renew my acquaintance with many more.  Liquorature is now an entrenched institution among the seven to nine of us who go there every month, as is the practice of special invitees, phenomenal food and always the token rum for Sir Ruminsky. And of course, the ongoing Star Trek references, continual Mandingo jokes, and nods to professional wrestling.

So to all who pass through here from time to time, thanks for reading, and for leaving the odd comment.  Have a good season.

 

 Posted by at 12:15 pm

An interesting new Solera….

 General, Recent Updates, Rum  2 Responses »
May 292011
 

It’s not a usual practice for me to post news on rums here, since such news is quite ably covered by other places (including Mike’s excellent RumConnection website); too, I like the low key nature of this site, which is not strictly for news or even reviews, but one which catalogues the various things members of Liquorature are up to and what they have been reading or swilling.

Having said that, I would like to draw attention to the Forbes magazine article written by Larry Olmsted on a new rum by the Panamanian outfit Varela Hermanos, a Solera 30 (no, this does not mean it is thirty years old) called Ron Abuelo Centuria.  Worth a read for sure, perhaps worth me dropping a few quid on the bottle if it ever hits Alberta. Of course, I may just be a sucker for claims of some kind of exclusivity, ha ha. Still, given my doubts about Soleras, Olmstead’s article could be what tips me over into giving them a more serious look going forward, as thus far I’ve not given them much attention.

Oh yeah: the commentary below the main article might be even more informative…

 Posted by at 9:23 am

Wolfenstein 3d

 General, Liquorature Thoughts, Movies, Music & the Arts, Recent Updates, Uncategorized  No Responses »
May 062011
 

May 5th 1992.  A release date that will live for…well, a heckuva long time.

Because, before Assassin’s Creed, before Metal Gear Solid, Socomm or Call of Duty, before Quake and Duke Nukem (long may he reign as King of Vaporware), there was the ur-game of them all, the ancient DNA of all first person shooters, and it was released that day.  Nope, not Doom, but its startlingly original, blood spattered, laughingly and irreverently pixellated daddy, Wolfenstein 3d.

While I fully acknowledge the origin of the game in Muse software’s 1984 incarnation, it was id software’s 1992 revisit of the game that broke all barriers and ushered in the era of the true first person shooter, where the environment was realistic looking 3d and scrolling and perspective were from that of the player.  But what really made it a breakout success and runaway hit was the stroke of genius Id/Apogee had, of giving away the first episode for free, and then charging for the remaining five. Shareware was well on the way to changing business models for the entire software industry.

Wolfenstein 3d sold like a gazillion copies.  Office managers routinely cursed its name. Parents were constantly kicked off their own computers (when they had them) by their kids, who played all night sessions, and then got hooked themselves after watching it for a while. Until its even better successor Doom came along (with its equally original and innovative network deathmatch play), it was quoted as one of the greatest contributors to loss of office productivity between 1992 and 1994.

One of the reasons for its perennial attraction for just about anyone of any age, was its ease of use.  Left and right arrow keys, space to shoot, and maybe two other keys to throw a grenade or push a wall for secrets.  Compare that to today’s games, which use what seems like every key on my board, plus a few I never heard of.   My son kicks my ass at the Wii and playstation games, but I moider da bum on keys…so long as I can use just a few and I don’t have to think in 3d.  Wolfenstein’s game engine made all that possible.

Wolfenstein 3d ushered in the first glimpse of a true FPS, much as Jordan Mechener’s original Prince of Persia almost redefined how graphics should look in an adventure game (both have now merged into fully rendered 3d worlds, but at the time their innovations were stunning and revolutionary to people who had only ever seen side-scolling images that did not move like real objects)

Seen today, we smile at the archaic graphics and clumsy bitmaps and poorly rendered images.  Relative to today’s sleek gaming worlds, of course they are.  At the time though, we had never seen anything quite like it.  And me and my friends, we stayed late at our offices, played all the levels (plus more freebies), did speed runs and became masters and boasted of our achievements when we met for beers.

I’m sure today’s twelve-fingered, thick-thumbed and iron-wristed Xbox and PS3 ur-swamis are as bad, as addicted and as dedicated as we once were. But I can almost guarantee that they never had quite as much fun as we did in those days when the technology was so new it had literally never been seen before.  That technologically-inspired sense of wonder and fun, plus ten beers and a pack of smokes would keep us going in our offices until long past midnight, surrounded by tinny speakers, glowing big-ass monitor and other crazies doing exactly the same thing.

Beat that, newbs

 Posted by at 10:18 pm

Liquor Privatization in Alberta

 General, Liquorature Thoughts, Recent Updates  1 Response »
Feb 132011
 

I complain and moan a lot about the lack of choice in Alberta’s shelves when it comes to rum, but truth to tell, we get quite a bit more than other provinces around this country, except maybe BC.

Most provinces’ liquor sales in Canada are still under Government control. This is the legacy of the well-meaning, though utterly unrealistic, efforts of elected officials to implement Prohibition – yes, Canada had Prohibition – in 1918 and even before. Unlike the US, Canada came to its senses faster (you migh say they sobered up, ha ha), and most of the legislation across the country was repealed within six years.  However, in the ’20s and ’30′s very powerful provincial liquor control boards were set up across the country, and liquor sales were, and remain for the most part, tightly regulated. This developed over time into a crazy situation whereby the provincial governments ran most of the liquor shops, and the irony of a body responsible for regulation and enforcement running a for-profit business it is supposed to monitor requires no further elaboration.

Alberta, under its powerful premier Ralph Klein, did away with this in 1993, and privatized liquor sales. In practice, there is still some Government control: the Federal Excise tax and sales taxes add to prices, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission approves all wholesale imports of liquors (into privately held warehouses) and then collects on subsequent sales to retailers: taxes, bottle fees plus a flat markup (thereby getting revenue from all points of the value chain).  But in the main, the objective of introducing competition (however imperfect) to the Alberta market has worked.

But how well?

Before we go there, spare a moment to consider what the act of privatization actually meant in practical terms in 1993. To research this, I spoke to a number of native Calgarians (yes, there are still a few around, but they are on the endangered species list), and they all concur on the basics: there was always and only a limited selection of spirits, and particularly wines; opening hours were limited, and God forbid that any opened on a Sunday; prices were the same province-wide, no matter where one went.  There were 208 ALCB stores in the entire province, with another 65 private retailers; and the purchasing process for any kind of bulk (say, for a wedding), was a torturous process requiring the usual forms in multiplicate. Simply stated, it was all limited and a pain, and Hobson’s choice from start to finish.

Fast forward 17 years.  According to the AGLC (the successor agency to the ALCB), there are now 1220 retail liquor stores in the province (up from the 208+65 noted earlier); another 488 off-sales establishments, like hotels, manufacturers or others, down from 530 hotel-only off sales places before, and 94 general merchandise liquor stores now where none had previously existed. Sales of spirits are up 48%, Beer by 52%, Wines by 109% coolers and ciders by 319%.  Revenue to the Government (unspecified but presumed by me to be on direct taxes and levies plus the revenue from the flat markup) climbed from $404.8 million to $716 million.  In 1993 there were 2,200 varying products available…there are 16,328 in 2010.

[prohibitioncanada.jpg]

___

I wouldn’t sound the hosannahs and encomiums too loudly, however.  The figures sound rosy, but they really aren’t that great from a Government perspective.Consider: the revenue numbers climbed 76.8%, but this disregards inflation; if inflation adjusted numbers are considered, the revenue increase has actually climbed a much more modest 29.9%  And this, while the population of Alberta increased from 2,574,890 to 3,786,398…a jump of nearly 50%.  So direct revenue per unit of population has actually decreased. On the other hand, all those newly established liquor stores pay taxes (sales and corporate), and this in all likelihood makes up for the difference, if not actually a bit more: and they provide employment (a climb from 1300 to 4000), and so fuelled an additional purchasing pool.  The flip side is that wages have decreased as jobs went non-union and capitalism went to work. It sounds a bit like the Red Queen’s Race, doesn’t it?

It’s been suggested that increased availability of alcohol in the province would fuel more alcohol related crimes and societal costs, but I came across an examination of this issue (it was done in the late ’90s when a white paper examined the possibility of privatizing Ontario’s system) that implies a rather smaller impact: in the years after privatization, Edmonton experienced a 24% rise in liquor offenses (many having to do with minors possessing alcohol) but a 42% decrease in traffic offenses (you can’t be more surprised than I). And the Calgary police noted that the increase in liquor store related crimes between 1993 and 1995 was offset by the larger number of retail stores opening, so that the risk per store actually decreased, especially when population growth in those years was factored in.  As for increased availability leading to increased consumption, some stats imply the reverse, and there are too few studies linking such availability with increased health burdens on the province. That said, a January 2011 article arguing against the matter in New Brunswick stated that based on a recent University of Victoria study,  there was a 27.5% increase in alcohol related deaths per 1000 population, for every new liquor store opened in BC. And another study comparing the Ontario LCBO and the prices in BC said flat out that not only were the prices comparable, but private stores had a larger price bump over the last five years than the (cheek-by-jowl) Government operated retail stores.

Speaking for Alberta, it seems that the increase in the amount of retail stores roughly parallels the population jump, as do the sales of spirits and beer; I could make a case that the relative affluence of the province has fueled the rise in purchases of wine which greater choice and stocks, as well as better marketing by the stores, have assisted.  I am curious how ciders and coolers have gone up by 319%, though, given that no other category went down in compensation, which suggests it’s carved out a niche all its own…maybe among the young who lack the palates for wine or the cash for good spirits. Looking at the above numbers, on balance I’d have to say that the effects have been largely positive: overall, I have not been able to locate any studies or statistics that say categorically that there have been increased societal costs or social burdens in Alberta (I apologize in advance to families or individuals who have been deleteriously affected by the impacts of alcohol, who of course would not share this sentiment) and alcohol-related crime seems to be on par with the levels before privatization on a per capita basis.  The amount of problem drinkers as a proportion of the population is about the same. The increased taxes and employment and knock on effects of people with jobs spending money and paying taxes is positive.

But statistics can be made to say many things, and at end the debate won’t be solved in this essay.  As the New Brunswick discussion makes clear, it’s a societal issue, dominated by high passions on both sides, and it is as much a philosophical matter as social one. I’m not entirely convinced, but it may be a zero sum game when all factors are taken into account.

I’ll close with this comment.  In the last two years I’ve travelled through The Yukon, NWT, Alberta (hey, I live here), BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, by road (it’s a relaxation and photo-hobby thing for me).  In no other province have I seen the breadth and variety of products as I have in my home turf.  Alberta is the cheapest of them all in terms of pricing (Appleton 30 year old costs $300 and rubs shoulders with over seventy other rums in the various stores around here, while in Ontario it costs $550 and rather shamefacedly sits with three other “premium” rums – Zaya 12 was one – and another fifteen bottom tier standards like Lamb’s and Bacardo and Captain Morgan). The Yukon is a bit like Ontario, and the other prairie provinces are in between.

And, Alberta boasts liquor stores of nationwide reputation: it’s a running gag on Liquorature that I don’t like whisky, but even I must concede that Willow Park and Kensington Wine Market (Chip, jump in any time with your Edmonton nominations) are famous and maybe the best in Western Canada, stock unbelievably fine products and ranges of whiskies to make a maritimer and an occasional lonesome Scot weep with envy; and the wide selections have permitted myself and two others in this province to begin a labour of love in reviewing spirits.  In no other province has this been the case, to this extent.

Numbers, dollars, stats and revenue may be debated to the end of time, fierce battles will be fought with teetotallers, religious figures, liberals, conservatives and madmen, and maybe nothing will ever be resolved or proven one way or the other. But in terms of intangibles, I’d have to say that privatization with sufficient regulation is a pretty good thing and works for me in Calgary. Usually, it’s unbridled, unchecked, reckless capitalism and over-intrusive Government intervention that’s the problem. Here in Alberta, we may have found a happy median.

References:
Population stats
http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/population_of_alberta_2010
http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/pdf/vs/2002Population.pdf
Prohibition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_Canada
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&ArticleId=A0006515
The statistics issued by AGLC
http://www.aglc.ca/pdf/quickfacts/quickfacts_liquor.pdf
Consumer Price Index (alcohol)
http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/econ163j-eng.htm
Crime, the debate on privatization and other stats
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/repository/mon/1000/10267288.htm Late ’90s Ontario study
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/1371123 “The Alberta Experience” NB argument for
http://www.nupge.ca/content/3990/privatizing-nb-liquor-sobering-second-thought NB argument against
http://communications.uvic.ca/releases/release.php?display=release&id=1193 University of Victoria Study
http://www.consumer.ca/pdfs/060314_cac_alcohol_study.pdf BC stats on privatization (2006)
 Posted by at 12:52 pm

Top ten overrated things in our lives

 General, Liquorature Thoughts  18 Responses »
Nov 092010
 

We are surrounded at all times, in the western world, by TV, consumer culture, phones, ipods, the internet (the irony does not escape me), and people. We eat in crowded “food courts” in malls that all look the same, and we lose contact with our families due to pressure of work.  We labour for The Man in cubicles, not offices, and upward mobility is a joke. On the smaller end of the spectrum, we are sold on pizza, buffalo wings, boneless chicken, Valentine’s day, summer holidays, Christmas, Halloween, this year’s car models and toys our kids scream for us to buy. We think wines, single malt scotches and premium liquors of all kinds are the ultimate expression of subtlelty in the tasting arts.

Many of us think that much of this is a lot of hoopla, but I daresay we don’t really delve too deeply into the matter, except occasionally, in our cups.  So I’m throwing this out there: what are the ten most overrated and over-hyped (but underperforming don’t-live-up-to-their-promise) things in our world, in your opinion?

 Posted by at 8:51 am

What’s On The Reading Shelf?

 General, Liquorature Books, Movies, Music & the Arts, Other Books, Recent Updates  6 Responses »
Oct 252010
 

Hmmm.  I’ve been so into the rums and the movies over the last weeks, that it has slipped me to see what others are reading these days.  This of course came about at work when The Hippie and I were discussing possibly upcoming choices with which to plague the illiterati.

Books for me have always been a lifeline.  My childhood was marked by frequent (and interesting) changes.  Before I was twelve I was already on my third continent.  Friends changed, languages were different, cultures varied wildly: but the great constants through it all were my brother, my father…and books – for which my mother can truly be said to be the facilitator (she was a librarian). Some of my earliest memories from Africa remain those of my curled up in a corner next to her office, reading a pile of Willard Price or Enid Blyton stories.  Want to know why I speak and write with such polysyllabry?  Blame all that earlier reading.

This love has never left me.  I may not have embraced e-books or the Kindle, but I read with as much interest and variety as always.

So what am I reading now?  Here’s what’s on the shelf at home, and I’d like to know what you have on your bedside table as well:

1. Blame The Hippie for this one – A People’s History of the United States

2. Ways of Sunlight – Short Stories of Samuel Selvon

3. A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church (an Inspector O novel, set in – get this! North Korea)

4. The Complete Sherlock Holmes (I’m prepping for the Baskervilles session in November, but am rereading eveything to prepare)

5. A Drink Before The War – Denis Lehane.  My take is that Lehane is one of the best noir writers currently publishing, with unexpected threads of humour coiling around all his very dark work. I don’t care what you start with, but any one of his novels is worth a read.

And there you are.  What have you got to share or recommend?

 Posted by at 5:15 pm

Best Five Director Tryptich

 * Site Map *, General, Movies, Music & the Arts, Recent Updates  22 Responses »
Oct 142010
 

Maltmonster posed an interesting List: not content to discuss the five best trilogies, he posited a selection of the best three movies made by a single director.

With that in mind: please list five directors who each have three movies that are superlative beyond the norm.  Just to make life interesting, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Sidney Lumet or Billy Wilder are not to be a part of your final list.  You are also to exclude any self-contained trilogy (or any of its individual constituent films) like LOTR, Bourne, Jurassic Park, Mad Max and so on.

Gentlemen, have at it.

 Posted by at 3:39 pm
 Older Entries